Last Washington Farmers Market of the season

Bob Shepherd, coordinator of the Washington, Iowa, Farmers Market, provided this descriptive notice of the final market of the season:

The trees in Washington's Central Park are wearing their 'Glorious Garb' of the 2012 season. Gold, bronze, yellow, reds from brick to crimson are the highlights of the colorful display. The roadways leading to the Washington Farmers' Market are surrounded by golden fields of grain in the midst of harvest, the roadsides - a massive quilt of fall blooming wild flowers; golden rod in bright yellow to a dusky gold, asters from white to pink to lavender to deep purple, yellow compass plant and sumac from bright crimson to a dark nearly black. All signs of the season. The ominous signs are there as well, morning frost, brisk breezes, earlier evening shadows and nights in the low thirties and twenties. It's a hard call to make but this Thursday Evening October 11th, when the cow bell signals the start of the market at 5pm, it will be the final 'clang' of 2012 Washington Farmers' Market.

Produce is still in good supply, though the last of the sweetcorn was at last weeks market. Egg plant, summer and winter squash, pumpkins, potatoes, kohl rabi, kale, chard, sweet and chili peppers, sweet  potatoes, onions, okra, green beans and even hedge balls can be found on the colorful table displays.

The baked goods defy description; beautifully displayed, fresh from the oven, yeast breads, butter rolls, short breads, sticky pecan sweet rolls, cookies, Blondie's, decorated cup cakes, and fruit pies are ready to proudly grace any dinner table.

2012 will go down as a season of extremes, nearly snow free winter, early spring, late spring freeze, drought, intense heat, finally a mellow late summer and early fall. The frost and biting winds seem early, but perhaps we're a little more sensitive to the change, it's been that kind of year.

Come to downtown Central Park, meet and greet your friends and neighbors, take this opportunity to thank those exemplary growers and bakers for a great year of Thursday Evenings. See you there!!